READING'S Zac Purchase was left in tears after missing out on gold in the final of the men's lightweight double sculls at the London 2012 Olympics.

Purchase and partner Mark Hunter went into the race as defending champions from Beijing but got off to a shaky start when a seat broke, forcing the race to be restarted.

After Purchase appeared to fix the seat with a screwdriver, the race begun again and the Great British pair looked unphased by the trouble as they took up the lead.

However, Purchase and Hunter were reeled by the Danish team and eventually pipped with just a few metres of the race remaining.

Both GB men looked devastated after the finish, remaining in their boat on the water with their heads in their hands and then tearful during their interviews.

"The emotional side is always difficult. When you put everything in and you lose, there is no hiding place," said Purchase.

"We'll spend days, weeks, months, the rest of our lives, trying to work out if we could have done more.

"The crowd here has been absolutely amazing. We did the best race we could.

"We've really enjoyed being part of this amazing team. I just wish we could have been a bit quicker."

* SEE THURSDAY'S CHRONICLE FOR A FULL OLYMPIC ROUND UP.